Ammonites Set of 6

Product Description

Ammonites were coil-shelled marine cephalopods that thrived from the Devonian through to the end of the Cretaceous period, when they went extinct alongside the dinosaurs. Their distinctive spiral shells, divided internally into gas-filled chambers, make them some of the most visually striking and pedagogically useful fossils available for classroom teaching.

This set brings together six genuine ammonite specimens, allowing students to compare variation in shell diameter, rib pattern, coiling tightness, and preservation across individual fossils rather than relying on a single example. It supports lessons on invertebrate evolution, suture-line complexity as a taxonomic marker, and the use of ammonites as index fossils for correlating rock layers across regions.

Product Details

Applications

• Comparative morphology exercises across multiple ammonite specimens in one set
• Teaching suture-line complexity as a marker of evolutionary change over geological time
• Demonstrating index-fossil correlation and relative dating principles
• Building a reference collection for invertebrate palaeontology practicals

Care & Handling

• Handle each shell by its body, not by thin or projecting rib edges, which can chip under pressure.
• Store specimens separately in a padded, compartmented tray to prevent them knocking against each other.
• Avoid acidic cleaning agents, which can dissolve or etch calcareous shell material.
• Dust gently with a soft dry brush; avoid soaking or prolonged water exposure.

Why Choose LabEquip

LabEquip supplies genuine fossil and mineral specimens for school and college earth-science programmes, each described accurately for teaching rather than curated purely for display. Explore more specimens in our Educational Rock and Minerals category, read about our approach on About Us, or reach our team via Contact Us for bulk and institutional orders.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are ammonites?

Ammonites were extinct marine cephalopods related to modern squid and nautilus, known for their coiled, chambered shells. They lived from the Devonian period until they died out at the end of the Cretaceous.

2. Why do ammonite shells have visible ribs and lines?

The ribs are growth ridges on the shell surface, while the fine, branching lines seen on some specimens are suture lines marking where internal chamber walls met the outer shell, a feature used to classify species.

3. Why are ammonites useful as index fossils?

Because different ammonite species existed for short, well-documented spans of geological time, their presence in rock layers helps geologists correlate and date strata across different locations.

4. Are all six specimens the same species?

No. The set includes a variety of genuine ammonite specimens showing different shell forms, sizes and preservation, giving students a broader basis for comparison than a single specimen would.

5. What age group is this set suited for?

It works well from middle school earth-science introductions through to introductory undergraduate invertebrate palaeontology and stratigraphy coursework.

6. How should the set be stored between lessons?

Keep each ammonite in its own padded compartment or wrapped separately to prevent shells knocking together, and avoid stacking specimens directly on top of one another.

Last Updated: September 2026